Mental Health

Research Guide to Mental Health
Statistics

1. Introduction

The purpose of this guide is to assist faculty, students, and
staff of the University
of Chicago find mental health statistics. This guide is not
meant to be exhaustive but to highlight key resources for locating
information on this topic.

2. Sources of Information

2.1 Book Resources

For electronic access to
books, try searching the
MD Consult database. You can search within an individual
textbook, or run a search across >35 textbooks simultaneously
for your topic.

Use the
Library catalog to locate relevant print and electronic books
in the University Library.

Try to identify general texts on your topic and you should be able
to find the data you need. Excellent data is buried within
textbooks; just because a textbook has not been labeled in the
catalog as a statistical resource does not mean that important
numerical data is not included within the work. You will need to
browse textbook and textbook chapters for tables and graphs on your
topic in order to retrieve desired information.

Subject headings in the catalog often do not include terms like
statistics unless the book only reports summary data, like
in a survey. Instead, browse or search the catalog using broad and
narrow subject terms related to aging or geriatrics. Catalog tip:
use the "*" wildcard to search for variations of your root term.
For example child* to search for child or
children or children's. You can then combine
these terms with the type of data you are interested in. For
example mental* and child*.

Search first for the specific disorders/issues i.e.
schizophrenia, depression, etc. before moving on to more broad
terms. For example Combat Disorders, Stress Disorders,
Post-Traumatic, Anxiety Disorders.

When searching for statistics from a specific region or people
group, use broad and narrow geographic variables. For example,
Chicago, Illinois, Midwest, United States. Also, search for
variations of the people group you are interested in. Such as

2.2 Journals

MEDLINE is the National Library of Medicine's premier database
covering the fields of medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary
medicine, the health care system, and the preclinical sciences.
MEDLINE contains bibliographic citations and abstracts from more
than 4,000 biomedical journals. The file contains over 11 million
citations dating back to 1966.

The Print version of this database is known as Index Medicus. Print
volumes from 1879-present are available in the Crerar Library
Reference Collection at Z6660.I4.

PsycInfo
Corresponds to the American
Psychological Association's Psychological Abstracts. Contains
citations to journal articles, technical reports, dissertations,
book and book chapters in psychology and related disciplines, such
as medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education,
pharmacology, physiology and linguistics. Coverage is 1887 to
present and international in scope.

CINAHL
Covers nearly nursing, allied health, biomedical and consumer
health journals, publications of the American Nursing Association,
and the National League for Nursing. This is the electronic version
of the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health.

Print volumes from 1956-1998 are available in the Crerar Library
Reference Collection at Z6675.N7C931.

2.3 Internet Resources

Sites were selected based upon the authority and/or reputation
of the issuing body in addition to the quality and organization of
the website. Federal organizations, medical associations, and
private organizations are included.

National
Center for Health Statistics NCHS is responsible for the
collection, analysis, and dissemination of statistics on the nature
and extent of the health, illness, and disability of the U.S.
population

Pan
American Health Organization - Regional Office for the Americas
of the World Health Organization (WHO).
PAHO is an international public health agency working to improve
health and living standards of the countries of the Americas. It
serves as the specialized organization for health of the
Inter-American System. It also enjoys international recognition as
part of the United Nations system.

Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
SAMHSA is charged with improving the quality and availability of
prevention, treatment, and rehabilitative services in order to
reduce illness, death, disability, and cost to society resulting
from substance abuse and mental illnesses.

2.4 Other data sources

Major tool for statistical research. Covers data from U.S.
federal and state governments; university research centers, private
associations and organizations, and independent research groups;
and international and intergovernmental organizations. Records
include abstracts, with full text of selected U.S. federal and
state publications available from as early as 1995.

Statistical Universe is the online equivalent of the following
resources available in print. You will need to consult the print
version in order to conduct historical research.

UpToDate is a practical clinical reference designed to provide
instant access to the information you need. It is comprised of
thousands of original topic reviews written by a recognized faculty
of experts who each address a specific clinical issue and provide
detailed recommendations. UpToDate performs a continuous review of
over 270 journals and other resources. Due to licensing
restrictions, use of this resource is only available onsite at the
University of Chicago campus and hospitals.